REQUEST TO ADD AN UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC CERTIFICATE PROGRAM AND/OR REQUEST FOR RECOGNITION ON THE UNIVERSITY TRANSCRIPTS[1]
1.Type of ProposalNew Certificate Program (requiring THECB notification only)[2]
Change an Existing Certificate Program
Delete a Program
Proposed classification[3] Exclusive General Major
2.THIS PROPOSAL INVOLVES (Please check all that apply)
Courses in other colleges / Courses in proposer’s college that are frequently taken by students in other colleges / FlagsCourse in the core curriculum / Change in course sequencing for an existing program / Courses that have to be added to the inventory
Change in admission requirements (external or internal) / Requirements not explicit in the catalog language (e.g., lists of acceptable courses maintained by department office)
3.Scope of proposed change
a.Does this proposal impact other colleges/schools? Yes No
If yes, then how?Yes. This certificate program is designed to appeal to students across the university in engineering, science, economics, mathematics, psychology, and other disciplines. The certificate requires students to build a foundation in applied statistical modeling through coursework chosen from the departments of Statistics and Data Sciences, Mathematics, Economics, Information, Risk, & Operations Management, Educational Psychology, Psychology, andElectrical & Computer Engineering. The six hours of additional electives are designed to count appropriate coursework in other majors across the university. It is our goal that students select applied statistical modeling electives that they may count in both their majors and the certificate.
b. Do you anticipate a net change in the number of students in your college? Yes No
If yes, how many more (or fewer) students do you expect?
c. Do you anticipate a net increase (or decrease) in the number of students from outside of your college taking classes in your college? Yes No
If yes, please indicate the number of students and/or class seats involved.Yes. We anticipate a small net increase in the number of students taking: M 358K (3), M 362K (1), M 378K (1), SDS 302 (1), SDS 304 (3), SDS 306 (3), SDS 321 (3), SDS 328M (2), SDS 352 (2), and SDS 325H (1). These numbers are not sufficient to warrant an additional section or increase in the instructional budget.
d. Do you anticipate a net increase (or decrease) in the number of students from your college taking courses in other colleges? Yes No
If yes, please indicate the number of students and/or class seats involved.No. We do not anticipate a net
increase or decrease in the number of students and/or class seats for students taking coursework in other
colleges. The courses offered in McCombs School of Business, Moody College of Communication, Collegeof Education, Cockrell School of Engineering, Jackson School of Geosciences, and College of Liberal Arts are included to accommodate students who are already majors in these colleges and fields of study.
If 3 a, b, c, or d was answered with yes, please answer the following questions. If the proposal has potential budgetary impacts for another college/school, such as requiring new sections or a non-negligible increase in the number of seats offered, at least one contact must be at the college-level.
How many students do you expect to be impacted? Our target enrollment for the certificate is 50, with 10-20 graduates per academic year. We anticipate very small increases in enrollments in mathematics and statistics and data sciences classes, detailed in 3c. We do not anticipate any increases in enrollments for courses taught in other colleges.
Impacted schools must be contacted and their response(s) included:
1) McCombs School of Business
Person communicated with: Dr. Prabhudev Koana, Chair, Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management
Date of communication: March 2015
Response: approved inclusion of MIS and STA courses
2) Moody College of Communication
Person communicated with: Dr. Patricia Stout, Director, Department of Advertising
Date of communication: March 3, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of ADV course
Person communicated with: Dr. Barry Brummett, Chair, Department of Communication Studies
Date of communication: March 3, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of CMS course
Person communicated with: Dr. Paul Stekler, Chair, Department of Radio-Television-Film
Date of communication: Feb. 16, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of RTF course
3) College of Education
Person communicated with: Dr. Cindy Carlson, Chair, Department of Educational Psychology
Date of communication: March 4, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of EDP courses
Person communicated with: Dr. John Bartholomew, Interim Chair, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
Date of communication: Feb. 13, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of HED and KIN courses
4) Cockrell School of Engineering
Person communicated with: Dr. Jon Olson, Chair, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Date of communication: Feb. 13, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of PGE course
Person communicated with: Dr. Ahmed Tweflik, Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Date of communication: April 9, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of EE courses
5) Jackson School of Geosciences
Person communicated with: Dr. Ron Steel, Chair, Department of Geological Sciences
Date of communication: Feb. 13, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of GEO courses
6) College of Liberal Arts
Person communicated with: Dr. Jason Abrevaya, Chair, Department of Economics
Date of communication: Feb. 13, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of ECO courses
Person communicated with: Dr. Robert Crosnoe, Chair, Department of Sociology
Date of communication: Feb. 13, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of SOC course
Person communicated with: Dr. Jacqueline Woolley, Chair, Department of Psychology
Date of communication: March 26, 2015
Response: approved inclusion of PSY courses
4.Official Certificate Name: Applied Statistical Modeling
5.Proposed Implementation Date:[4] Fall 2016
6.CIP Code (administrative unit awarding the certificate):[5] Department of Statistics and Data Sciences
7.Statement of Objective:[6]
The Certificate in Applied Statistical Modeling equips undergraduate students with the tools necessary to understand how to apply statistics to their primary field of study. This certificate program is designed to complement diverse degree programs and to appeal to students across the University in engineering, science, economics, mathematics, and many other disciplines. Certificate students will fulfill a two-course sequence on the mathematical foundations of statistics, a two-course sequence on applied statistics, data mining, or machine learning, and complete two elective courses in statistics, machine learning, econometrics, and other relevant courses from the approved elective list.
8.Number of Students Expected to Receive the Certificate Each Semester:
Ten students are expected to earn the certificate each long semester.
9.Number of Hours Required for Completion:[7]
Eighteen hours.
10.List Faculty on the Certificate Program Faculty Committee.[8]
Name of Faculty Member / College/Department / Title at UT Austin / Highest Degree and Awarding Institution*James G. Scott (program co-chair) / McCombs/IROM / Assistant Professor / Ph.D., Duke University
*Carlos Carvalho (program co-chair) / McCombs/IROM / Assistant Professor / Ph.D., Duke University
*Michael Daniels / CNS/SDS/Section of Integrative Biology / Professor / Sc.D., Harvard University
*Lizhen Lin / SDS / Assistant Professor / Ph.D., University of Arizona
* Lauren Meyers / CNS/SDS/Section of Integrative Biology / Professor / Ph.D. Stanford University
*Peter Müeller / CNS/Mathematics / Professor / Ph.D., Purdue University
*Pradeep Ravikumar / CNS/Computer Science / Assistant Professor / Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University
*Tom Sager / McCombs/IROM / Professor / Ph.D., University of Iowa
*Purnamrita Sarkar / SDS / Assistant Professor / Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
*Tom Shively / McCombs/IROM / Professor / Ph.D., University of Chicago
*Stephen Walker / SDS/Mathematics / Professor / Ph.D., Imperial College of London
*Sinead Williamson / SDS/IROM / Assistant Professor / Ph.D., University of Cambridge
*Mingyuan Zhou / IROM / Assistant Professor / Ph.D., Duke University
11.Academic Course Requirements:[9] Use this table to identify the courses that qualify for this certificate program.
Course Abbreviation and Number / Course Title / SCH[10]College of Natural Sciences
CS 343 / Artificial Intelligence #
# CS 310, 310H, 429, or 429H; and M 362K or SDS 321. / 3
M 339J / Probability Models with Actuarial Applications #
# M 358K or 378K. / 3
M 349P / Actuarial Statistical Estimate #
# M 339J and M 341 or 340L. / 3
M 349R / Applied Regression and Time Series #
# M 358K or 378K or an introductory statistics course and consent of the director of the concentration in actuarial studies. / 3
M 358K / Applied Statistics #
# M 362K. / 3
M 362K / Probability I #
# M 408D, 408L, or 408S. / 3
M 362M / Introduction to the Stochastic Processes #
# M 362K. / 3
M 378K / Introduction to Mathematical Statistics #
# M 362K. / 3
PBH 354
/ Epidemiology #
# BIO 325 or 325H; PBH 317; and credit or registration for BIO 328M or SDS 328M. / 3
SDS 302 / Data Analysis for the Health Sciences / 3
SDS 304 / Statistics in Health Care / 3
SDS 306 / Statistics in Market Analysis / 3
SDS 321
/ Introduction to Probability and Statistics #
# CS 311, 313K, M 325K, and M 408C, 408K, or 408N. / 3
SDS 325H / Honors Statistics #
# Admission to Dean’s Scholars Honors Program or consent of instructor. / 3
SDS 328M / Biostatistics #
# 6 hours of BIO. / 3
SDS 352 / Statistical Methods #
# 1 of the following: M 316, SDS 303, 304, 305, or 306. / 3
SDS 353 / Advanced Multivariate Modeling #
# M 408D or 408M; and SDS 325H or 352. / 3
SDS 358 / Special Topics in Statistics #
# Upper-division standing; additional prerequisites may vary with the topic. / 3
SDS 374E / Visualization and Data Analysis for Science and Engineering #
# M 408D or 408M, 340, and prior programming experience using C or Fortran on Linux or Unix systems. / 3
SDS 375 / Special Topics in Scientific Computation #
# Upper-division standing; additional prerequisites may vary with the topic. / 3
SDS 378 / Introduction to Mathematical Statistics #
# M 362K. / 3
SDS 379R / Undergraduate Research #
# Upper-division standing and consent of instructor. / 3
McCombs School of Business
MIS 373 / Topic 17: Business Data Analytics with Data Mining #
# STA 309 or 309H. / 3
STA 309 / Elementary Business Statistics #
# M 408D, 408L, or 408S. / 3
STA 371G / Statistics and Modeling #
# MIS 301, 310H, or 310; STA 309 or 309H; and credit or registration for BA 324 or 324H. / 3
STA 371H / Statistics and Modeling: Honors #
# MIS 301, 310H, or 310; M 408D, 408L, 408M or 408S; STA 309 or 309H; and credit or registration for BA 324 or 324H. / 3
STA 372 / Topic 4: Multivariate Statistical Analysis #
# Upper-division standing and STA 309. / 3
STA 372 / Topic 5: Financial and Econometric Time Series Modeling #
# Upper-division standing and STA 309; STA 317G, 371H, 375, or 375H. / 3
STA 375 / Statistics and Modeling for Finance #
# MIS 301, 301H, or 310; M 408D, 408L, 408M, or 408S: STA 309 or 309H; and credit or registration for BA 324 or 324H. / 3
STA 376 / Intermediate Statistics #
# STA 309 or 309H. / 3
Moody College of Communication
ADV 344K / Advertising Research #
# Upper-division standing; ADV 318J; ADV 309R, PR 309, STA 309, or SDS 306. For advertising majors, credit or registration for ADV 325. / 3
CMS 348 / Communication Research Methods #
# Upper-division standing. / 3
RTF 330K / Introduction to Research Methods #
# Upper-division standing. / 3
College of Education
EDP 371 / Introduction to Statistics / 3
HED 343 / Foundations of Epidemiology #
# Consent of instructor. / 3
HED 373 / Evaluation and Research Design #
# Upper-division standing. / 3
KIN 376 / Measurement in Kinesiology #
# 6 hours of upper-division coursework in KIN. / 3
Cockrell School of Engineering
EE 351K / Probability and Random Processes #
# EE 313. / 3
EE 361M / Introduction to Data Mining #
# CS 314, 314H, or EE 422C; EE 351K or M 362K; and M 340L. / 3
PGE 378 / Applied Reservoir Characterization #
# GEO 416M or 316P; and PGE 323K or 331, and 337. / 3
Jackson School of Geosciences
GEO 325K / Computational Methods #
# GEO 325J, and PHY 301 and 316. / 3
GEO 365N / Seismic Data Processing #
# Upper-division standing; GEO 325K and 465K. / 3
College of Liberal Arts
ECO 329 / Economic Statistics #
# ECO 304K and 304L; and M 408C and 408D, or 408K and 408L, or 408N and 408S. / 3
ECO 341K
/ Introduction to Econometrics #
# ECO 420K and 329. / 3
ECO 350K / Topic 4: Advanced Econometrics #
# ECO 341K. / 3
ECO 354K / Introductory Game Theory #
# ECO 420K and 329. / 3
PSY 418 / Statistics and Research Design #
# PSY 301; and 1 of the following: M 302, 303D, 403K, 305G, 408C, 408K, 316; or SDS 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 318. / 4
PSY 325K / Advanced Statistics #
# For psychology majors, PSY 301 and 418. For nonmajors, upper-division standing, PSY 301, and 1 of the following: BIO 318M, CE 311S, ECO 329, EDP 371, EE 351K, GOV 350K, M 316, 362K, ME 335, PSY 317, SOC 317L, SW 318, STA 309, SDS 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, or 318. / 3
SOC 317L / Introduction to Social Statistics / 3
SOC 369L / Analytical Demography #
# Upper-division standing and college algebra or equivalent. / 3
12.Other Certificate Requirements: Students must receive a C or better in each course applied to the certificate and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the courses presented to fulfill the certificate.
13.Give a Detailed Rationale for Change(s):
The rationale for creating the Undergraduate Certificate in Applied Statistical Modeling is to provide undergraduate students at The University of Texas at Austin the opportunity to develop expertise in applied statistical methods. There is career-driven student demand for more intensive data modeling skills that students' majors currently do not provide.This demand can be satisfied by a certificate program that is less intensive than a master’s degree.The certificate curriculum can be accommodated within a student's regular undergraduate program, or at most, one additional semester beyond the baccalaureate.Additionally, a certificate program will standardize the quality of this additional training while offering official recognition of student achievement of data modeling skills.
The Department of Statistics and Data Sciences (SDS) acts as a central hub, working with faculty throughout campus with the intent to foster faculty collaboration and afford undergraduates in a variety of disciplines the invaluable training in the development and application of statistical methods. No other UT academic unit has the requisitely skilled faculty of interdisciplinary breadth and relevant experience. The SDS has the requisite faculty with the skills to teach the certificate curriculum plus experience teaching the undergraduate students who would most likely take certificate courses. Also, the SDS has the interdisciplinary breadth of faculty for the various academic areas from which certificate students are most likely to come.
14.College/School Approval Process:
Approver: Michael Daniels, Department of Statistics and Data Sciences
Title: Professor and Chair
Date:February 6, 2015
Approver:
Title:
Date:
Applied Statistical Modeling
The certificate in Applied Statistical Modeling equips undergraduate students with the tools necessary to understand how to apply statistics to their primary field of study. This certificate program is designed to complement diverse degree programs and to appeal to students across the University in engineering, science, economics, mathematics, and many other disciplines. Certificate students will complete a two-course sequence in the mathematical foundations of statistics, a two-course sequence in applied statistics, data mining, and machine learning, and six additional hours in statistics, machine learning, econometrics, and other relevant courses from the approved list below.
Admission to the certificate is by application only. Students may download an application form from the Department of Statistics and Data Sciences webpage. Students seeking the certificate must also complete the prerequisite course Mathematics 408C or 408L with a grade of at least C-.
The certificate consists of eighteen hours. Students must receive a grade of at least C in each course applied toward the certificate and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in the courses presented to fulfill the certificate. Students must contact the Department of Statistics and Data Sciences to apply for the certificate in the semester in which they are completing the requirements and graduating.
- Sequence in the mathematical foundation of statistics:
- Choose one of the following: Electrical and Computer Engineering 351K, Mathematics 362K, or Statistics and Data Sciences 321.
- Choose one of the following: Mathematics 378K or Statistics and Data Sciences 378.
- Sequence in applied statistics, data mining, and machine learning:
- Choose one of the following: Economics 329, Educational Psychology 371, Mathematics 358K, Psychology 418, Sociology 317L, Statistics 309, Statistics and Data Sciences 302, 304, 306, or 328M.
- Choose one of the following: Economics 341K, Mathematics 349R, Statistics 371G, 371H, 375, or Statistics and Data Sciences 325Hor 352.
- Six hours of coursework chosen freely from the following lists. Of the six hours, a minimum of 3 hours must be upper-division.
Students are encouraged to select courses within their own majors or colleges as appropriate. The Statistics and Data Sciences courses listed in requirement 3a are available to students in all majors. - Courses in the College of Natural Sciences: Computer Science 343, Mathematics 339J, 349P, and 362M, Public Health 354, Statistics and Data Sciences 353, 358, 374E, 375, and 379R.
- Courses in the McCombs School of Business: Management Information Systems 373 (Topic 17: Data Mining for Business Intelligence), and Statistics 372 (Topic 4: Multivariate Statistical Analysis), 372 (Topic 5: Financial and Econometric Time Series Modeling), and 376.
- Courses in the Moody College of Communication: Advertising 344K, Communication Studies 348, and Radio-Television-Film 330K.
- Courses in the College of Education: Health Education 343and 373, and Kinesiology 376.
- Courses in the Cockrell School of Engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering 361M, and Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering 378.
- Courses in the Jackson School of Geosciences: Geological Sciences 325K and 365N.
- Courses in the College of Liberal Arts: Economics 350K (Topic 4: Advanced Econometrics)and 354K, Psychology 325K, and Sociology 369L.
Please include a draft of the catalog copy immediately following the above form. If this is an update of an existing copy, the draft should be based on the text of the current catalog available at: Strike through and replace (with underlines) only the specific language to be changed.Do NOT use “track changes! ” Submit form electronically to the Office of the General Faculty and Faculty Council at . For questions, please also email or call 471-5936.
Certificate Impact Statement revised on 9/24/14 10:59 AM.1
[1]Minimum Criteria for Certificate Recognition on the Transcript
a)The transcript-recognized undergraduate academic certificate program must be completed in conjunction with or within one year of completion of an undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin; students pursuing an integrated undergraduate/graduate program must complete the requirements for the certificate within one year after completing the undergraduate requirements of their program. A maximum of nine credit hours in the certificate program may be taken after completion of the undergraduate degree.
b)Transcript-recognized undergraduate academic certificate programs must require a minimum of 18 hours of certificate course work, but not more than 24 hours.
c)At least half of the required coursework in the certificate program must be completed in residence at The University of Texas at Austin.
d)A student may not earn a certificate in the same field of study as his or her major, and at least one course required in the certificate program must be outside the requirements of the major. However, courses in the certificate program outside the major may fulfill other degree requirements such as general education requirements or required elective hours.
e)Students apply for transcript recognized undergraduate academic certificates at the time they complete their undergraduate degree or the certificate program, whichever comes later. Transcript recognition is awarded at that time.
[2] See: Certification Form for New Certificate Programs at Universities and Health-Related Institutions (“New Certificate Request Form”) at
[3]Exclusive: of exclusive application and of primary interest only to a single college or school ("no protest" period is 5 working days); general: of general interest to more than one college or school (but not for submission to the General Faculty) ("no protest" period is 10 working days); major legislation must be submitted to the General Faculty for adoption (("no protest" period is 10 working days).